08/26/2026
This still feels relevant almost a year later, maybe it will always feel relevant for moms... Thoughts?
Imagine: You aren’t the problem. And you aren’t a bad mom. Your kids aren’t the problem.
The real problem is that social media content (unintentionally) convinced you there’s a good one.
“I’m gentle but not that kind of gentle,” she said to me.
This and other iterations of this have been said a lot over the last few months in the spaces I hold for moms.
I’ve seen the parenting content online shift, but here’s what hasn’t changed: moms still measure themselves against the “good mom” standard. Even though the target keeps moving.
Gentle parenting. Authoritative parenting. Respectful parenting. The philosophy changes, but the comparison stays the same.
When I wrote about this for Maclean’s Magazine, one thing became really clear:
The pressure to conform to societal (and social media) expectations and portray a picture-perfect life, even though “perfect” keeps changing, leaves many women feeling unseen, unheard, and deeply inadequate.
Those how to posts (can) leave out the context of your neurodivergent kid, your trauma history, your partner’s work schedule, your own regulation capacity on three hours of sleep.
Your unique child and family circumstances are more important than any viral parenting strategy.
You already know your kid better than any content creator ever could.
Tag a mom friend who needs this reminder
Full Maclean’s article comment or DM me - you’ll feel seen
